Mount Union feels the heat

Loussaint Minett knocked the
ball out of Matt Piloto's hands, which the Warhawks recovered on
the 1-yard line. On the next play, UW-Whitewater scored to take a
10-0 lead.
Photo by Ryan Tipps, D3sports.com

By Ryan Tipps
D3sports.com

SALEM, Va. -- During a night of intermittent rain that may have
dampened the game’s momentum but not its spirit, Mount
Union’s chances for an 11th Stagg Bowl victory didn’t
slip away until the team’s final drive with barely a minute
left.

But while the late-game turnover on downs sealed the Purple
Raiders’ fate in the 13-10 loss, the game’s defining
moment came earlier, within just a few feet of the goal line.
Midway through the third quarter, UMU quarterback Matt Piloto was
swallowed by a horde of UW-Whitewater defenders, popping the ball
from his hands and giving the Warhawks prime real estate at the
1-yard line.

It became the only touchdown the Purple Raiders would give up
all day, and it came on the shortest of fields.

The Whitewater defense “forced us into mistakes. And good
defenses do that,” Piloto said. “To be a better
offense, we need to eliminate those mistakes and take advantage of
the opportunities we have.”

Building up to Stagg Bowl XXXIX, a large focus was on both
teams’ defenses, especially as Mount Union battled injury and
other difficulties with its offense. UMU ranked second
statistically in the nation in defense, giving up just 203 yards
per game. Under the lights in Salem Stadium, they gave up about
their average: 210.

Despite giving up yards to the Warhawks during the first drive,
Mount shut them down with a red-zone interception by Chaz Jordan.
The pattern held most of the game, with the Purple Raiders snuffing
their opponents’ efforts and squeezing a lot out of the game.
They even brought in an extra defensive lineman and pulled a
cornerback to stifle UW-W running back Levell Coppage, the
D3football.com Offensive Player of the Year. Overall though, it
wasn’t enough.

“We played well defensively,” said Nick Driskill,
the D3football.com Defensive Player of the Year. “We
could’ve made some plays here and there that could’ve
changed the game, but you can’t blame any one side of the
ball. “

Coach Larry Kehres credited the speed and smarts of both
defenses, which made this the lowest-scoring Stagg Bowl since
Mount’s 10-7 win against St. John’s in 2000. The Purple
Raiders defense kept the game close at the break and opened the
door for halftime adjustments that the team is known for.

“We wanted to have a chance in the fourth quarter and not
let the game get away from us,” Kehres said.
“Certainly, we hadn’t done enough on offense. We had to
do more.”

Mount was able to string together longer drives in the second
half, helped in part because they were able to use the receiving
corps better and lean more on rusher Jeremy Murray, who gained 59
yards on the day.

“We were able to spread the ball out to a few different
receivers, get our running game going, kind of just balance our
offense and keep them guessing as to what we were going to
do,” said Piloto, who threw the Purple Raiders’ only
touchdown late in the fourth to A.J. Claycomb.

But he also noted the heat he felt from the defensive line,
including instances that led to the fumble inside the 5. He was
also sacked three times for a loss of 26 yards.

“Any time a defensive line can get pressure on a
quarterback and make him do things he’s not normally used to
doing, make him alter his throwing motion with his feet, obviously
it’s going to make it more difficult to move the ball,”
said the junior, who like last year stepped up to fill the starting
role after Neal Seaman was injured earlier in the year. Seaman did
play one series, totaling 20 yards rushing and passing, before
aggravating his injury.

This is the third year in a row Kehres and his team have
weathered a loss on Division III’s biggest stage. He has
enjoyed his own good years in the past, and he notes that amid
everything, it’s irresponsible for a team to think of itself
as untouchable.

“I would’ve hated that, to have our team think we
were untouchable. That’s probably when you’re
touchable,” the long-tenured coach said.

Having been on both ends of the scoreboard in Salem since 1993,
Kehres has had opportunity to be celebratory and consolatory with
his team when necessary.

On Friday, though, mired in disappointment, he said he was at a
loss of what to tell his players.